Is this love or infatuation
by Ariel Buchanan
Summary: This story is set during 3rd year and is about someone finally catching Oliver Wood's eye. He thinks about her all the time & she him. Is this the real thing? This is my first fanfic so please don't be too harsh.
1. A Pleasant Surprise

Author's note: In no way, shape or form do I own any HP characters. They are the work of the brilliant JK Rowling. I only own the obvious characters. I would love any and all reviews i can get. Flamers, however, are not in any way appreciated.

Is this love or infatuation?

Hermione opened the door and saw a girl that she had never seen before. The girl was petite and rather curvy with red hair softly curling down her back, stopping just short of her waist. She jumped up when Hermione opened the door and Hermione saw that she was 5'2".

"Oh I'm sorry," Hermione said. "I thought this compartment was empty."

"It's okay," the girl said, smiling shyly. The girl's voice had a very distinct Irish accent.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you," Hermione said.

"It's alright," the girl replied. "I'm just a little jumpy, I guess."

"I know this sounds odd, but are you new here?" Hermione asked, her face looking slightly vexed.

"Oh, yes," the girl said. "I just transferred to Hogwarts. I'm Ariel Buchanan."

"I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione replied, shaking the girl's hand. "What year are you in Ariel?"

"I'm a fifth year," Ariel replied. "What about you?"

"Third year," Hermione said. "Fun," Ariel said. "Why don't you come back to my compartment with me?" Hermione asked. "It's just me and my friends Harry and Ron. They're third years as well."

"That would be great," Ariel said.

They left the cabin, Hermione leading the way and both of them chattering away. When Hermione slid open the door and Ariel stepped inside, the conversations stopped and everyone became quiet. Hermione was about to introduce Ariel when Ginny piped up,

"Ariel?" "Ginny?" They ran to each other and hugged.

"Hey Ariel," Ron said.

"Hey Ron," Ariel said, letting go of Ginny to hug Ron.

"Ariel, what are you doing here?" Ginny asked, obviously ecstatic.

"Didn't you get my owl?" Ariel asked. Ginny shook her head. "stupid owl," Ariel muttered. "He's new so I guess he got lost. Anyway, I sent you guys a letter telling you that we moved here and I was coming to Hogwarts this year."

"Well, I guess I missed something," Hermione said.

"Oh Hermione," Ginny squeaked. "This is our cousin, Ariel Buchanan."

"I know who she is," Hermione said before Ginny could continue with the unnecessary introductions. "I met her a little while ago." She silently released her breath. Seeing Ariel and Ron hug had sparked just a little bit of jealousy. I was surprised you and Ron knew her."

"Oh my!" Ariel exclaimed. "You're the Hermione that Ron talks about all the time! I didn't even put it together when I met you. He tells me all kinds of things about 'his 'Mione'."

At this, Hermione crossed over and sat down beside her boyfriend, intertwining their fingers.

"Oh I'm so happy I finally met you all!" Ariel said. She turned to Harry, who had been quiet up until now.

"You must be Harry Potter," Ariel said. "I've heard so many things about you as well." She sent Ginny a quick wink. "Where are the twins?" she asked.

"Check the next compartment over," Ginny said, blushing when Harry picked up her hand and started playing with her fingers.

"Okay," Ariel said. "I'll be right back."

She left the compartment in search of Fred and George. She found them right where Ginny said they would be, playing a game of Exploding Snap with Lee Jordan. When Fred and George saw her, they ran up to her and hugged her, bombarding her with the same questions she had just answered. Gee, she thought, maybe I should have found the twins before I answered these questions the first time so I wouldn't have to repeat myself. Oh well. Once everything was answered, they stepped back and she saw Lee staring at her.

"Are you the Lee Jordan that these two always get into trouble with?" she asked him.

"Y-y-yes, " Lee stuttered. "That's me."

"It's wonderful to meet you," Ariel said. "I'm Ariel Buchanan." Lee continued to stare as Ariel, Fred, and George talked.

"I should get back," Ariel said. "I expect we'll be arriving soon and I still have to change." The twins said good-bye to their cousin. As soon as she walked out, they turned as one to Lee.

"What's wrong with you?" they asked.

"Have you lost the ability to speak?" George asked.

"Has an invisible cat stolen your tongue and held it for ransom?" Fred questioned.

They got quiet for a second and Lee found his voice.

"Who the hell was that?" he exclaimed. "Man was she HOT!"

As soon as the words were out of is mouth Fred and George swooped down on him, slapping and punching him.

"Hold up!" Lee shouted, definitely beginning to regret his previous words. "What was that all about?"

"Don't even think about her, Lee," George said.

"That's our cousin and you don't have a snowball's chance in hell with her," Fred said.

"Ok…ok," Lee said. "I was just asking. Don't shoot me or anything."

"Well, don't think of our cousin that way," Fred said.

"Or we may have to shoot you," George said.

"Ok…." Lee said. "Can I say one thing first?"

"Go ahead," the twins said.

"Promise you won't hit me?" He asked.

"Yea, we promise," they said.

"I know that I can't have a shot with her, but can I at least check her out and maybe become friends?" Lee asked. "There's no harm in looking, is there?"

"No, I guess not," Fred said.

"As long as you don't try to touch," George said. "She's our cousin and we wanna look out for her, but if you tried something she didn't ask for, we'd have to pick up what's left of you off the floor."

"Yea," Fred agreed. "She doesn't tolerate shit from anyone. Not even us….Especially not from our friends."

"Ok… I get the picture," Lee said. "Wanna finish our game now?"

The boys went back to playing Exploding Snap.


	2. Welcome Ariel, enter Malfoy then Wood

Author's Note: I in no way own any of the characters that are part of the HPverse. They belong to JK Rowling and even if they didn't they would belong to someone else because I am sooo not talented enough to create such characters. Just thought I would let you all know. Now, on with the story!

When the train arrived, everyone filed out and went to the coaches. They saw Hagrid and waved as he went about rounding up all the first years to ride across the lake. Everyone rode in one coach so they could all talk. When they got out of the coach, one person seemed to be missing from the throng of students pouring through the main doors of Hogwarts.   
  
"Where's Malfoy?" Harry asked as they approached the steps. "I knew the train ride here was too quiet."   
  
"He probably had to do Death Eater stuff," Ron said.   
  
As they climbed the steps, they heard a cold, drawling voice.   
  
"Damn," Ron said. "I hoped we wouldn't see him."   
  
Malfoy turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and had his breath taken away. He didn't see Potter, Weasley, or Granger, but a beautiful girl with long red hair and eyes the color of finely cut emeralds. As she walked by she smiled at him and his heart was gone. She was the most gorgeous creature he had ever seen and he wanted her more than anything. Ariel had topped the steps to encounter a boy about Ron's age with white-blonde hair and blue-gray eyes that were both striking and disturbing. Those eyes felt as though they were trying to see into her very soul and could easily read what was hidden there. This thought was off-putting to say the least to Ariel and she quickly looked away. The gang walked into the Great Hall and got seated, introducing Ariel to several people. Draco walked up.   
  
"Hello darling," he said. "I'm Draco Malfoy. And you are?"   
  
"Ariel Buchanan," she replied, wanting him to leave and not look at her with that haunted wanting look in his eyes. "Charmed, I'm sure."   
  
Draco reached down and brought her hand to his lips. "The pleasure is all mine," he said. He kept her hand lightly in his own until Ron walked up and stepped between them, breaking contact. Thank goodness, she thought. That boy is unnerving. Ron got very close to Draco.   
  
"Step off," he muttered threateningly.   
  
"What right do you have?" Draco asked similarly. "You have Granger, don't you?"   
  
"She's my cousin, Malfoy," Ron said, his fists clenching at his sides. "Back off, she doesn't want anything to do with scum like you."   
  
"How are you so sure?" Draco asked, his drawling voice beginning to grate on Ron's last nerve. "We've only just me. Have you become a mind reader now, Weasley?"   
  
Before Ron could respond, Dumbledore motioned for everyone to be seated. The first years were sorted and seated at the appropriate tables. This was done in record time according to Ron and Harry. Dumbledore stood up and everyone got quiet.   
  
"Before the Sorting Hat is put away to begin thinking of a new song to sing next year, we have one more new student. Ariel, darling, would you come up here?"   
  
Ariel stood up and walked to the front of the hall, conscious of the fact that every eye in the room was fixated on her.   
  
"Ariel has transferred here from Ireland, " Dumbledore said. " I hope whichever house she is sorted into sees that she is treated properly."   
  
Ariel sat down and Dumbledore placed the Sorting Hat on her head. The hat was quiet for a moment and then yelled,   
  
"Gryffindor!"   
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, and Lee all stood up and cheered. As she walked back toward the table, she caught sight of a Gryffindor who was clapping along with everyone else. He's pretty cute, Ariel thought to herself. Yet even though she thought he was cute, she didn't know what had drawn her to this boy. He didn't stick out in any major way; other than he was extremely hot. Then he turned his head and looked into her eyes. God, she thought. He has the most spectacular eyes. Those eyes could look right through you. He was thinking the same thing. Ariel sat down beside Hermione and whispered,   
  
"Who's that guy down there?" She looked toward Oliver and Hermione's eyes followed.   
  
"Oh," Hermione said. "That's Oliver Wood. He's a seventh year and plays Quidditch."   
  
"Really," Ariel murmured. "What position?"   
  
"He's captain and keeper," Hermione responded. "Why do you ask?"   
  
"He's pretty cute," Ariel replied.   
  
"Yea," Hermione said. "Almost every girl in Gryffindor want him, but he doesn't seem interested. It's almost as if he doesn't realize that they like him."   
  
Ariel nodded and made a non-committal sound. Ok, she thought. So he's the oblivious type. She could deal with that. She looked up to see Oliver looking at her. She maintained eye contact for about ten seconds, smiled, and then looked away. Ariel knew how to keep them coming back for more and was going to use every trick available to see that Mr. Wood did just that.   
  
After the feast was over and Dumbledore dismissed them, the prefects led the way to the common rooms. Once inside, everyone sort of milled around and talked. Ariel was off with Harry and the gang when Oliver came up. His plan was to talk to Harry, Fred, and George, but said plan went quickly out the window.   
  
"Hi everyone," Oliver said as he sat down.   
  
Mysteriously enough, the only empty seat was between Ariel and Hermione. Oliver didn't really have a problem with that. He hadn't actually met Ariel, but he knew her name from when she was sorted. He also knew that she was extremely beautiful and had an accent that sent shockwaves directly through his body. He snapped out of his little world as everyone muttered hello.   
  
"Oh, Oliver," Hermione said. "You haven't officially met Ariel. Ariel Buchanan, Oliver Wood. Oliver, Ariel."   
  
They smiled at each other and said hi. Hermione cold have sworn she saw sparks fly and hoped she was right. She almost giggled with delight. She would get to play matchmaker this year and she had a very definite feeling that her venture would be a success.   
  
Everyone kept talking until Percy came down and made everyone go to bed.


	3. Spin the Bottle

Disclaimer: Let's make this as painless as possible. I only own the obvious people in this story. Anyone you recognize from other books, stories, ect.. Belong to JK Rowling. Get the picture? Good. Now that the formalities are over, let's commence with the story.

Authoress' note: Fair warning for all that are prudish and are straight as little arrows. This chapter has lots of kissing, ect… & I don't want to get in trouble for not letting you know in advance. It's nothing like NC-17, or anything close to that, but it is PG-13 verging on R. Now you know.

Once classes started the next morning, everyone was really busy. Every night was spent doing homework instead of talking, which was what everyone wanted to do. Thankfully for them, that weekend was a reprieve. The professors were all in a good mood and only gave enough homework for Friday afternoon, leaving the rest of the weekend free. Sunday night, the entire Quidditch team and a bunch of other Gryffindors crowded into a dorm room. They decided to play Spin the Bottle and they knew they couldn't play it in the common room. If they did, McGonagall could come in or Percy would catch them and go berserk. So their only option was a dorm. Once everyone got situated, they went over the rules. Since Hermione had played it the most (it was a muggle game), she went over the rules.

"Ok," she said. "You spin the bottle and have to kiss who it lands on, no matter what. Sounds pretty simple, right?"

Everyone nodded so she continued.

"Well tonight we're gonna jazz it up a bit. Every kiss has to be a minimum of 30 seconds, except for same sex kisses, which only have to be 10. For every time a person tries to get out of their kiss, another 5 seconds is added. Use of tongue is legal and encouraged for the sake of being fun, but not required. That's about it. Got it?"

Everyone said yes and the game began. Hermione started and had to kiss Harry, which was no big deal. Ron didn't even mind.

Harry had to kiss Ginny, which was perfect. They stretched a 30 second kiss into a 3 minute make-out session and had to be pulled apart with the promise that after Ginny's turn they could leave the game and pick up where they left off.

Ginny spun and landed on Oliver. She turned very red and look away, causing everyone to laugh, Harry included.

"Go on Gin," Harry said. "Get it over with so we can continue." He wiggled his eyebrows and laughed.

Ginny nervously got up and walked over to Oliver. She leaned down and began to kiss him while everyone started counting down.

When they reached zero Ginny was even redder than before, thinking that Oliver kissed almost as well as Harry. Her opinion was biased, but interesting to say the very least. Many of the Gryffindor girls were all looking at Ginny and laughing, forgetting who she had just kissed. Harry and Ginny quickly exited the room amid lots of laughter.

Finally it was Oliver's turn and it was suddenly quiet. All the girls were wishing that the bottle would land on them.

Oliver had a wish of his own. As he sent the bottle spinning, one thing kept going through his head, "Please land on Ariel, Please land on Ariel, Please land on Ariel."

The bottle crept to a stop and Oliver's wish was granted. The bottle was pointed directly at Ariel to where no one could even attempt to say it was pointed at someone else. Oliver looked at Ariel, who looked back and grinned. He got up and walked over to her.

Sitting down in front of her, his head was inches from hers. He brought their lips together and was taken by surprise. As they started kissing, the world around him vanished and the ground tilted. No longer could he hear everyone counting down to the end of the kiss; everything was drowned out by the pounding in his ears. Their tongues melded and massaged, moving from his mouth to hers. They were so caught up on the kiss that they didn't realized everyone had stopped counting and was staring. Here was Oliver Wood, the hottest guy in Gryffindor and the one that every girl in the room coveted, kissing this new girl so passionately that waves of that passion could be felt all over the room. He was kissing a girl that he had just met more passionately than he had ever kissed anyone in his life.

Everyone was so stunned that all they could do was stare. After the initial 30 seconds, plus the two and a half minutes that everyone spent staring, the rest of the people left the room to give them privacy and to find another dorm to play in. Once everyone was gone, the kiss continued.

They broke apart just long enough to get air and then went back. Ariel's arms had wound around Oliver's neck and Oliver's had come around her waist, settling on her lower back right above her butt. They finally broke apart and noticed how quiet it was around them.

"Wow," Ariel said.

"Where'd everyone go?" Oliver asked, looking around bewilderedly.

"I guess they went to another room," Ariel said.

She lapsed into silence and brought her hand to her lips. She could still feel the heat of Oliver's lips and if she closed her eyes, she could practically feel the way his tongue had pulsed in her mouth. Oliver turned around and stared in awe. Here was his own little Irish pixie. A tiny redhead with gorgeous emerald eyes that were currently wide in shock as she held her tiny hand to her mouth. He just wanted to eat her up. I bet she doesn't even know how adorable she is, he mused as he crossed to her.

"So," he said. "Do you want to go find the others, or do you want to stay here and talk."

"Well the stay here idea was intriguing until you added the whole talk thing," she replied.

Oliver looked at her, surprise clear across his face.

"You don't want to talk?" he asked, rather stunned.

"Well, I guess we _could_ talk," she said as she leaned closer to him. "But personally, I was hoping for something else."

"Really," Oliver said. "What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said coyly. "Why don't you come here and find out?"

He crossed the room in a few strides and pulled her into his arms. He brought his lips to hers in such passion that she was taken aback. She definitely hadn't expected something quite this strong from Oliver. Not that she was complaining or anything. It was just in the time she had known Oliver, he had always seemed cool, composed, almost detached in everything he did. She guessed level-headed would sum up Oliver Wood if he had to be described in one word. Now, however, it was like a dam had broken and passion was unleashed. This was a side of Oliver that she could definitely get used to! They kissed for a little longer until the need for oxygen overruled every other thought.

They broke apart and were both quiet for a while, trying to catch their breath and process what was going on between them. They were about talk about it when Calista Keeley, another fifth year and Ariel's best friend, opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, grinning at Ariel. "Percy broke up our game. He's looking for anyone who's where they aren't supposed to be. I just thought I would let you know so you don't get in trouble."

She went to her dresser, quickly picked out some pajamas, and went into the bathroom to change.

"I guess you should go," Ariel said. "I don't want you to get in trouble."

Oliver nodded and got up. Ariel walked him to the door where they kissed one more time.

"Goodnight," Ariel murmured.

"Sweet dreams, my little pixie," Oliver whispered.

He walked away to go to his dorm. Wow, Ariel thought. He definitely knows how to make a girl dream. She closed the door and went to her dresser to get ready for bed.


	4. The morning after

Disclaimer: No part of the HPverse is mine. Point blank. That's the way it works. I only own the characters that have never been mentioned in any HP books. Okie-day? Good.  
  
Authoress' Note: I finally got my 1st review! I'm so happy! Manfoot, thank you so much! The positive reinforcements really made my day. You are my favorite person in the entire world! Here's the next installment of my little ongoing soap opera.   
  
The next morning, Ariel rolled over and looked out the window. Wow, she thought, where did the storm come from? From where she was laying, the entire world was dark, the sky almost looking purple. If it wasn't for her alarm clock she would swear it was still night. She was the only one awake in her dorm, which didn't surprise her.   
  
She learned very quickly that her friends were heavy sleepers. The first day back it took her fifteen minutes to get them all up and they almost missed breakfast. She figured out the quickest and easiest way to wake them all up, and proceeded to do just that every morning after she got ready. She got out of bed, opened her trunk to get her robes, ect… and tiptoed to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready. She knew she didn't have to be quiet, but she so out of habit anyway.   
  
Once she got out of the shower and got dressed, she braided her hair back and went to find her shoes. She didn't really know why she had let her hair grow so long; it was nothing but a burden to her. The only reason she could possibly fathom was that she wanted to be like her mom. She had died when Ariel was a little girl, but in every picture she had ever seen of her mom she had had hair that was past her waist. She didn't really understand it, but she thought that letting hers get as long as her mom's might make her closer to her, something she had yearned for since she was about ten. The only downside to that was her classes. For potions, herbology, and a few other classes, her hair could present a problem and was constantly getting in her way. Her solution to this was to keep her hair tied back all the time. Only the girls in her dorm and the people she had seen on the train before she changed had seen her hair down. In the grand scheme of things, that was almost an insignificant amount.   
  
When she was finished tying her shoes, she proceeded to wake up the rest of the girls. Once they were awake-grumbling, but awake- she told them she would wait for twenty minutes, then she was going to breakfast, with or without them. She proceeded to the common room to wait. They were insane if they thought she was going to stay on that room with them.   
  
She wasn't in the common room two minutes when Hermione came down the stairs from her dorm. She saw Ariel and came to sit down in the armchair beside her.   
  
"So, did you have fun last night?" Hermione asked teasingly. They laughed and quickly got quiet again, remembering that most of the house was still asleep. Ariel wasn't sure of how to answer.   
  
Finally she looked at Hermione, blushed, and said, "Well, it definitely wasn't boring."   
  
They both giggled at her reply.   
  
"I have to ask you something," Hermione said. "But you have to promise that you won't get mad or whatever."   
  
"Ok," Ariel said.   
  
She wasn't sure where Hermione was going, but she truly doubted that she would get mad. She may have had that terrible Irish temper, but over the years she had learned to control it well.   
  
"Does Oliver kiss as well as everyone thinks he does?" Hermione blurted, blushing just a little. Ariel was caught off guard for a second and then smiled.   
  
"That good and then some," she said.   
  
Hermione grinned at her answer.   
  
"Now I have a question for you," Ariel said. "Why would you think I would get mad at you for asking that?"   
  
Hermione looked down and answered, "Well, I am dating you cousin." Ariel looked at her astonished.   
  
"Is that it?" she asked. "I know damn good and well that you're dating Ron. I also know that the Hermione that Ron loves would have a logical reason for thinking I would get mad at a question like that. Personally, I think it's a completely logical question, plus it's funny."   
  
"Oh," Hermione mumbled. "Well, other people would be pissed that I could ask a question of that type when I was dating their cousin."   
  
"Well sweetheart," Ariel smiled, "I'm definitely not most other people. Ask Ron. He knows that for a fact. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to breakfast. I'm pretty sure that you want to wait for Harry and Ron."   
  
Hermione nodded and Ariel got up and left.   
  
Meanwhile in the Slytherin common room, Draco was still pissed off.   
  
"Why in the hell did they put her in Gryffindor?" he asked angrily to a barely awake Crabbe and Goyle.   
  
Even when they were completely coherent they wouldn't know how to answer, much less now. So they just sat there and let him vent. He didn't need them; he quickly answered his own question.   
  
"She's Weasley's cousin," he said. "I bet that's why. Every damn Weasley has been in Gryffindor for like forever. God, why Weasley's cousin? Of all damn people, why his cousin?"   
  
Just then Pansy came bopping down the stairs, walking over to Draco and settling herself between his legs.   
  
"Hey Draco, baby," she cooed.   
  
She rubbed up against him as she leaned into him to give him a kiss. He didn't kiss her back or put his hands on her hips like she wanted, so she leaned back and pouted.   
  
"What's wrong, Drakey?" she asked. "You're not still mad about that little Gryffindor slut, are you? I'd drop it if I were you. I heard she got kicked out of her old school because she was caught having sex in a closet. Plus she fucked almost half the school, guys and girls."   
  
Draco pushed Pansy off of him and got up.   
  
"Shut up bitch," he said. "She's not you. Don't you dare try to make her out to be like you."   
  
He stormed out of the common room, slamming the portrait on the way. 


	5. The Library

Disclaimer: I own only the obvious characters. All others that you have seen in books belong to J.K Rowling. What part of that statement is hard to understand?

Authoress' note: I'm really sorry that I haven't updated more lately. School started and it's kinda hectic settling into the new schedule. I promise I'll try to update more.

CH. 5

The next few days, Oliver and Ariel had snuck glances at each other, but hadn't spoken since Sunday. Oliver had Quidditch practice and Ariel had realized the reason that her cousins always complained about their teachers. Snape really was a prat/ git/ asshole that he was reputed as and McGonagall was as hard-nosed as Ariel was told. McGonagall was fair and didn't completely overload on work, but it was obvious that Snape favored Slytherins and always gave loads of work. DADA wasn't as bad as it was at her old school; Professor Lupin was actually pretty cool and seemed to hate giving work as much as everyone hated doing it. He much preferred hands-on work as opposed to book work. The rest of her classes were boring and didn't over/ under- load them as far as assignments.

She also learned that Quidditch was very popular her and that almost everyone (most teachers included) were rather fanatical. Oliver was probably the worst. Since he was captain, he spent all of his spare time strategizing and planning days for practice. If he wasn't so serious about it, it would probably be funny. These things and more were on her mind a lot.

She didn't know how anyone on the Gryffindor team had time to do their work on top of practice. She wasn't sure about the other grades, but she knew Snape had given her class a really long report due Friday on the properties of gillyweed and its uses in the magical world. Plus Professor Binns (who she thought was boring, though his story was funny) had given them an essay on how the Goblin Rebellions and other rebellions had shaped history and their impact on today's world.

Ariel had decided to do both of these in the library where it would be easiest to access information if she needed it. She chose a table away from the prying eyes of Madam Pince and had brought along the CD player that she had enchanted for company. She was just starting to discuss one of the numerous acts in response to the Goblin Rebellions and had Ja Rule and Christina Milan's "Between Me and You" playing (quietly enough that Madam Pince couldn't hear it, but loud enough that she couldn't hear anyone behind her) when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped at the contact, but wasn't surprised that someone was there.

She knew just who that someone was, too. Of all the people she had met, only one wore "Truth" by Calvin Klein and that person was Oliver Wood. She turned around and took her headphones off, stopping the CD so her batteries wouldn't die.

"Sorry I frightened you," Oliver said quietly.

"It's alright ," Ariel replied. "You just caught me off guard, that's all."

"What are you writing?" he asked.

"Oh, just and essay for Professor Binns," she said.

"Oi! That man is obsessed with essays," he said. "Which one are you at now? He gives the same subjects every year, so…..yea." Ariel laughed.

"He's just that predictable, huh?" she asked. "That's almost pathetic. We're on Goblin Rebellions, ect.. And how they shaped history and their impact on today's world."

"Wow," he commented. "Are you in his advanced class?"

"No," she said. "Why?" Oliver pondered for a second.

"If I remember correctly, it was a little later in the year when he gave us that essay," he said.

"Hmm," Ariel murmured. "Well, maybe he decided to pick up the pace a little bit. It's possible there's something he wants to cover with us that he normally doesn't get to."

He thought for a second. "Yea," he said. "You're probably right. I wonder what it is though?"

"Who knows," Ariel said. "All I know is that he pulls some of these subjects from his ass. That's the only possible explanation."

They both laughed.

"Are they giving you a problem?" he asked.

"Only a little," Ariel said with a grin. "It's just hard to write about something you haven't studied in that class sometimes."

"Yea," Oliver said. "That's the way Binns works. If you get stuck or whatever, just ask me. I could probably help you find the right books or whatnot."

"Really?" Ariel asked.

"Yea," he replied. "Surprisingly, I do ok in his class. Which is really funny considering I sleep most of the time." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Yea," she said. "You're not alone. Thanks for the offer. If I get stuck, I know just who to go to."

Both got quiet for a while and Ariel tensed up. Here we go, she thought. He's gonna get on the subject of the other night. She remembered the night all too well. She still dreamed about it. She wondered if he did too. Oh yes, he still dreamed about it. All he had to do was close his eyes and he could feel the way she practically melted in his arms, mouth fused to mouth as though their lives depended on it. He closed his eyes and shivered softly, but not quite softly enough. Ariel noticed this, but wasn't exactly sure of the cause.

"About the other night," Oliver began.

Ariel leaned forward and pressed her finger lightly to his lips. "Shh," she said. She moved her finger, but only for it to be replaced by her lips. The kiss was short and loving, and caught Oliver completely off guard. She backed away and looked at him.

"No regrets," she whispered.

She quickly gathered her things and walked out of the library, almost afraid to look back for fear of breaking down. All she could think was to get to the common room and into the dorm before the flood hit.


	6. The announcement

Disclaimer: I only own characters that you don't know. Simple enough for you? Ok then.

Authoress' note: I am a horrible person for not keeping up. I know. If you had my school schedule, you would understand. I will try to update more. Now on with the drama.

Ariel rolled over, trying to rub the grit out of her eyes.

Flashback

_She had managed to get back to the common room-although how she did it she had no idea- and she ran to her dorm, ignoring curious glances from several other Gryffindors. She landed on her bed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Calista came in the room soon after she got there and asked her what was wrong. Ariel told her everything was fine and she was just fine. Calista knew better but decided that when the time was right, Ariel would tell her. She also knew that if her friend needed help or someone to talk to, she knew where to look. She had quietly exited the room and put a spell on it so that the only people who could get in were the ones who lived there or who Ariel opened the door for. Ariel missed dinner that night, too embarrassed to face Oliver and his cronies. She finished her work in bed and afterward sat by the window, thinking about everything. How could she have been stupid enough to think Oliver could like her? She should have known better. She spent an hour telling herself it was just heat of the moment and that it meant nothing before putting on her pajamas and crawling into bed. She cried herself to sleep, knowing that she had wasted an hour lying to herself. _

End of flashback

After remembering why her eyes were so gritty, Ariel rolled over and sighed. She knew that she had to eat at some point and that when she did she would have to face Oliver, or at least have to be in the same room. She looked at the clock and decided it was close enough to time to get ready. She got into the shower and scrubbed her face until it felt clean. She got out and realized that she forgot to get her robes and everything. She chuckled at her absent-mindedness as she exited the bathroom. She had no more walked out of the bathroom than the door opened and Fred and George, with Harry and Ron on their heels, rushed inside. They all stopped shortly inside the door as she snapped her head up and realized she was only wearing a towel. The thought ran through her head that Cali's spell didn't last (she wasn't stupid; she knew quite well what her friend had done), but that was quickly dispelled when she saw the horrified look on the boys' faces. Isn't this quite a sight, she thought, trying her best to hold back a chuckle. Fred, George, and Ron were all turning crimson and Harry had closed his eyes and put his hands over his glasses. They all looked rather rough, what with their hair sticking out at odd angles everywhere.

"Oi Ariel," Fred said loudly, then looked around to make sure he hadn't woken anyone up.

"Don't worry," Ariel said. "You couldn't wake up that lot if your life depended on it." Fred nodded then continued.

"Why in the name of Merlin don't you take your clothes into the shower with you?" he asked.

Now Ariel chuckled and replied, "Well, doll, most times I do, but I spaced it this morning. Had I known I was gonna have company when I got out, I would have tried to remember."

This broke whatever tension was there and they all laughed.

"Now," she said. "What was so bloody important that you had to burst into my room at this hour to tell me?"

They all blushed again. Finally George piped up, "You missed it last night at dinner and w weren't sure if the girls had told you."

Ariel looked at them, rather puzzled. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Tonight there's going to be a ball," Harry said. "It's short notice, but Dumbledore wanted to lift everyone's spirits and Halloween is still a while away. He knows a lot of people are really wary about the whole Sirius Black thing."

Awesome, she thought. "So," she said. "Give me serious deets."

"Ok," Ron said, taking over. They were doing this transition thing really well. Very smooth. "The ball is tonight at eight," he started. "First and second years leave at eleven. Third and fourth years leave at one. Fifth, sixth, and seventh years leave three. Dress robes are required. Classes have been cancelled today for a Hogsmeade trip. Everyone is allowed to go, but those under third year have to stay with a teacher. We leave at ten AM for Hogsmeade. I'm sure will go over the finer points at breakfast."

Now that he had finished his speech, Ariel was intrigued. Suddenly the twins asked. "So whom are you going with?" She grinned at them. Sometimes she could swear they were mind readers.

"I don't know," she said.

"I have an idea," Fred said. "We could hook you up with Oliver! He's the only guy in Gryffindor that we trust other than Harry and Lee and they both have other plans."

"No!" Ariel shrieked. As soon as the word was out of her mouth, she regretted it.

"Why not?" George asked. "Well," Ariel began. "It's my first ball here and I don't want you guys setting me up out of pity because I'm your cousin and I'm new." Whew, she thought. That was close, but I fixed it quick. "Now will you four please get out so I can put on some clothes?" she asked. "I'm about to freeze me bum off."

The guys grinned sheepishly and left. Ariel went over to her trunk and rummaged around for a bit. Finally she pulled out a dark green mini, a white cap-sleeved button-down, and a black cami. As she dried her hair she found her knee-high boots and put them on. Then she went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Twenty minutes later she came downstairs, ready to go to breakfast. She had already woken up the girls, so life was good. Instead of her normal braid she had left part of her hair down, taking the other half and twisting it up so that it cascaded over the twist and down her back. It looked like a deep red, curly waterfall that went on forever. Today was kinda special, so she decided to look different. If Oliver happened to suffer in the process, so be it. The other people in the common room looked at her like she was alien. She winked at Fred and George, and then turned to leave the common room, thoroughly satisfied. She had definitely surprised Oliver; who- to her utter satisfaction- looked like his eyes would come straight out of his head and follow her. She felt those eyes bore into her. Then, at the last possible second, she turned, winked, and blew him a kiss.


	7. Shopping and Getting Ready with the Girl...

Disclaimer: I in no way shape or form own any of the characters in the HPverse. Only the characters that you have yet to meet in the HP books are obvious.

Authoress' Note: I am trying my best to finish typing this story. I know I am not doing a very good job, but try is the operative word. There you go. Now on with the drama.

When Ariel walked into the Great Hall, many eyes were on her as she slung her robes over her shoulder. It was late autumn so it was kind of nippy outside, but not really bad. She thought it was funny that several boys were watching with particular interest. She sat down in between George and Harry and within minutes a guy had come up. He told her his name was Roger Davies and then proceeded to ask her to go to the ball with him. She let him down gently, saying that she wasn't even sure she wanted a date. She added that it wasn't anything against him; it was just that she wanted to go stag to her first Hogwarts ball. Roger looked dispirited, but was pleasant enough about it all. When he left, she turned to George.

"So," she said. "What was with the daggers you guys were shooting Roger?"

They shrugged and Fred said, "We just don't like him. That's all."

She nodded and picked up a piece of toast. After about fifteen minutes Professor Dumbledore stood up and everyone got quiet.

"I know that everyone is excited about the ball tonight. I have one more thing to add to the mix. The ball is to be a masquerade ball. So remember to pick up masks today in Hogsmeade!"

He sat down and resume eating as everybody started to chatter excitedly. No one could believe it was to be a masquerade ball. That made every dance, every everything way more interesting, which meant the girls were even more worried about what they were going to wear. Not long after that, breakfast was over and everyone was going towards Hogsmeade. Since it was nice outside, everyone walked to Hogsmeade. They knew that the carriages would take them back, since everyone was planning on buying quite a bit. The gang all walked together, with Calista, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia, who wanted to shop with Ariel, Ginny, and Hermione. They wanted to do "girl bonding." They were all giggling and talking about all getting ready together, which made the boys crazy.

Everyone separated, the girls heading to Gladrags. Once they got there they realized just how they different they were. After about an hour and what seemed like a million dresses, each girl finally found her "perfect" dress. Ariel's was emerald green with gold silk trim. Alicia's was teal with dark teal satin trim. Hermione's was royal purple with a silvery blue silk trim. Ginny's was baby yellow with a cream lace trim. Angelina's was blood red with gold satin trim. Katie's was baby pink with pink silk trim. Finally, Calista's was baby blue with silver lace trim. It was a lot easier finding masquerade masks than it was to find dress robes. They finally walked out of the store, laden with packages (it turned out that the girls found other clothes they could not live without).

They met with the guys at The Three Broomsticks. Everyone was talking animatedly over butterbeer about anything and everything. Every now and then the boys kept trying to sneak peeks into the bags, but were quickly dispatched. At three o'clock, the girls decided they needed to leave to start getting ready.

"Bloody hell," muttered Fred. "Does it honestly take you lot five hours to get ready?"

The girls giggled. "It does if you want us to be gorgeous," Angelina said as they got up.

Fred blushed and the other guys laughed. The guys decided to go back with the girls. They knew it wouldn't take _them_ that long to get ready, but they could find other things to do. Plus, the girls had drafted them to help with all their bags. None of the boys would say so aloud, but they thoroughly believed that there was no possible way the girls needed this much clothing. They knew how full all of the girls' closets were, not to mention that the clothes they wore didn't cover a whole hell of a lot. Not that the guys were complaining (at least mostly; the twins and Ron were about Ginny). They like it (again mostly). The guys got to the dorms, unloaded the girls' stuff, and said good-bye and that they would meet in the common room at 7:30.

The girls went to the fifth year dorm to get ready. The reason they wanted to get started early was because they had no idea what they wanted to do their hair. They spent the first hour debating styles for everyone. Around that time Skyler, another Gryffindor fifth year came into the room.

"Hi," she said. "I'm so glad you guys are here."

They looked at each other.

"Why, what's wrong Sky?" Ariel asked.

Everyone looked worried. They thought that Cedric, Skyler's boyfriend, had bailed on her.

"Oh no, you guys," she said. "I know what you guys are thinking. It's just that I don't know what to do with my hair and make-up to look right with my dress. You guys always look awesome, so I thought you could give me some pointers."

At this all the girls sighed with relief. "No problem," Angelina said. "Of course we can help you. As a matter of fact, we were discussing hair right before you came in."

Skyler sat down and joined their debate. After about another thirty minutes, everything was decided…. Almost.

"Hey Skyler," Alicia said. "Let me see your dress to make sure this style is gonna look right."

Skyler nodded and went to where she put her shopping bags and pulled out the one from Gladrags. From it she pulled a royal blue velvet set of dress robes with dark royal silk trim. All the girls looked at it and smiled. It was perfect for Skyler and would look wonderful with the style she had chosen.

"Great," Alicia said. "Perfect."

Skyler put it back in the bag, knowing she wouldn't need it until later.

Ginny then decided, "Hey guys, I'm hungry. Why don't we go down to the Great Hall or the kitchens and get some snacks."

Everyone nodded and they left the room. They headed toward the kitchens, knowing that no one would be in the Great Hall except teachers decorating for the ball. When they arrived in the kitchen, they were bombarded by house-elves.

They had gotten their food and were about to leave when Roger Davies walked in. Everyone sort of muttered hi and the girls were about to walk away when Roger said, "Hey Katie can I talk to you for a minute?" Katie looked at the girls and told them she would be right back. About three minutes later, Katie came back flushed and grinning.

"What's up?" Calista asked. "Yea," Angelina said. "What did Davies want?"

"He asked me to the ball!" Katie exclaimed, evidently ecstatic. Everyone smiled and congratulated her. She had secretly liked Roger for a while.

"Well," Alicia said. "It seems like everyone has a date but little Miss Ariel over here." Ariel smiled.

"I know," she said.

"Why don't you have a date?" asked Skyler. "I know guys have asked you. Not to mention most drool over you."

Ariel laughed softly. "No date means as many guys as I can dance with. Plus the only ones who will know exactly what I look like will be you guys. The guys won't even know."

"You won't let the guys know?" Hermione asked. "I thought you were walking down with us. The whole group thing." Ariel looked at Hermione.

"Sorry," she said. "But think about it. The guys will probably recognize me. At least Ron, Fred, and George. Harry will be so wrapped up in Ginny he won't care. I'm sure everyone else can keep his or her dates in line. Oh yea Calista. Be careful around Draco. I know you like him and he says he likes you and everything, but just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt and I'm really not in the mood to kick his little Pureblood ass!"

They laughed and Calista promised to watch out.

"You have to admit though," she said as they walked back up the steps to the dorm. "It is a cute ass, as well as the rest of him."

Angelina threw a pillow at her and Alicia just rolled her eyes. Most of the girls (save the younger ones) knew Calista was going to see that cute ass and the rest of him if things went as planned. They all knew Calista wasn't a slut. They also knew that she had had the hots for Draco since his first year. Plus, Draco had been acting differently towards Calista. He started acting like he was really interested, which was totally pissing off Pansy and the rest of his "fan club." Ariel didn't really have to warn Calista though. Cali knew how to take care of herself and if Draco wanted to act stupid, she could and would knock him back in line. Since it was four o'clock the girls quickly ate their snacks and got to work.

At seven o'clock, the girls were putting the finishing touches on their ensembles. Calista walked out of the bathroom and turned in a slow circle.

"How do I look?" she asked. Her baby blue robes fell softly around her ankles, billowing as she walked.

"Gorgeous," Ariel replied. "Now let me see the hair."

Calista's hair was up in a complicated but beautiful knot with two curls framing her face. Ariel smiled her approval. Calista put on her mask (a light baby blue to match her dress), kissed all the girls, and made her way to the door.

"I wouldn't wait up if I were you," she said slyly. "I don't know when or if I'll be back." She left the dorm to go find Draco.

After much debate they had decided to leave Ariel's hair down since it never was. So Ariel's hair spilled down her back and was sprinkled with what looked like diamonds. She put on her robes and then did exactly what Calista had done.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Spectacular," said a voice from behind her.

Ariel spun around to see who it was. Standing in the doorway was Oliver, looking sexy as sin and twice as deadly. His forest green robes fit him perfectly and succeeded in being dressy and masculine at the exact same time. Ariel looked at him in awe.

Thankfully for her, Angelina stepped in. "What are you doing here, Oliver?" she asked. Oliver glanced from Angelina back to Ariel. As if he had been in a trance, Oliver shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm sorry." He turned around and walked away. All the girls were confused, but no one said anything. Ariel waited until the other girls were ready, so she could see how they looked. After that, she quietly left to go to the ball.


	8. The Ball

Disclaimer: I so do not own any of the HPverse characters. Is that clear enough for you?

Authoress' Note: I am trying my best to get this out now. If not now, prolly never. Anyway, I am kinda brain dead about how to continue the story, so if you have any ideas let me know. Here we go…

Ariel walked into the Great Hall and was taken aback. The teachers had obviously given much thought and planning to how everything would look. The entire hall was absolutely gorgeous. The decorations were tasteful, not tacky, and the house tables had disappeared to leave room to dance. Small tables were scattered around the edges, both numerous and privately arranged. You could easily have an intimate place to talk or have a group discussion, depending on your mood.

When Ariel had walked in, several people had quit talking. Many of the guys (whether they had dates or not) were openly staring at her. She saw several girls shoot daggers at her and then proceed to get the attention of their dates back. Ariel thought it was amusing and wished the girls were here already. They would have had quite a laugh about it.

She spotted Calista over at a secluded table with Draco. They were deep in conversation, their heads close. Across the room she saw Pansy Parkinson and her gang (A.K.A Draco's fanclub) glaring at Calista and Draco. I bet Cali's just way too tickled with herself, Ariel thought with an evil grin. She loves to piss Pansy off.

A few people she knew stopped her and talked, but since it was her first year here she didn't know very many. Several guys asked her to dance, most of which she turned down politely. Occasionally one would pique her interest and she would agree.

Shortly after she turned down a Ravenclaw seventh year, she saw her "group" walk in. Katie had met up with Roger somewhere and they were talking and laughing. Harry and Ginny were being all cuddly (Ariel was beginning to wonder if that's all they did). Ron and Hermione sat down at a table and began talking. Ron wasn't much of a dancer. She figured Hermione would dance with Harry or one of the twins.

Speaking of the twins, she thought as she grinned. Fred and Angelina were dancing in a flurry of arms and legs. People were backing away a little in fear of getting hit. George and Alicia were like polar opposites of Fred and Angelina. They were dancing closely, not moving around much. She knew Alicia liked George ( it was something she found out shortly after she arrived). Another thing she knew (and now she guessed Alicia did too) was that the feeling was mutual. George had confided in Ariel a few years ago that he liked Alicia. He had told her all about this girl and all the things you would only tell a close confidante. As soon as she met Alicia, she understood why George was practically in love with her. She hoped that the way those two were looking at each other was indication of what was to come. Alicia needed someone to make her happy as much as George did and she believed they could make each other very happy.

Her wondering was interrupted when she heard Skyler and Cedric arguing. They argued a lot, but they always made up in the end. It was kind of sweet really.

She felt someone behind her and was about to turn around and decline. When she turned around she was looking into a pair of brown eyes she couldn't forget.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Want to dance?" She couldn't speak so she just nodded, letting him lead her out on the floor.

As if it was planned, BoyzIIMen's "I Can Love You Like That" came on and the only people on the floor were couples. Even Ron and Hermione were out there. She was pleased to see Fred and Angelina and George and Alicia out there as well. Oliver turned her toward him and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist as she wound her arms around his neck. They began to slowly sway to the music. Ariel put her head on Oliver's shoulder and he put his head on top of hers.

About ¼ the way through the song, Oliver moved his head and whispered, "I have no regrets when it comes to you." Ariel looked at him, her eyes wide in such an innocent way that Oliver was astounded.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," he replied. "Why would you think otherwise?" She gave him a weak smile.

"I'm not really sure. I just had this feeling that when you brought up that night, you wanted to tell me that it was all a mistake. Then you would tell me that you didn't feel anything and that you just wanted to be friends and all that other BS."

Oliver sort of looked at her, surprised that all of that had been running through her mind. No wonder she had avoided him. She thought that he was a jerk and he hadn't done anything to change her opinion. He realized why he hadn't seen her very often. Gosh, he thought, he had been so stupid.

"I know this is no consolation," he said, "but I am so sorry. There's no way to make up for it, but I wish we could start over."

"Yea," she said, "me too."

The song was about ¾ of the way through when he leaned down again. "Will you let me make it up to you?" he asked.

She looked at him. "Are you asking me out?" she inquired, baffled.

"That was the idea," he said, "but if you don't want to we can just be friends."

She looked at him strangely. "Are you crazy?" she asked.

"No," he replied, eyeing her confusedly.

She smiled. Then she leaned in and kissed him.

"Is that a 'yes'?" he asked sarcastically.

"Absolutely," she said, grinning wildly.

As the song ended, they kissed again and walked off the floor hand-in-hand, not noticing the person watching them from the shadows.


	9. Love birds

Disclaimer: I don't own any of that fun HPverse stuff. All clear?

Authoress' Note: I'm really sorry that this has taken so long. I truly hope that I haven't made anyone really really angry. I still am not completely sure where this is all going, so any and all feedback would be much appreciated.

Chapter 9

Ariel and Oliver danced together the rest of the night. Oliver even dedicated the song "Truly, Madly, Deeply" to her. They danced to it and she thought she would cry. The song was so sweet and Oliver was the epitome of the sweet guy. The night and everything about it was so perfect that she wished it would never end. However, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were ushering everyone to the doors. Everyone else felt the same way Ariel did. They wanted the night to go on and on forever. It reminded Ariel of "Endless Night," a song from the muggle musical _The Lion King._ She doubted that anyone else here had ever heard of that, so she decided to keep that fact to herself. Oliver and Ariel walked to the Gryffindor common room together, talking and laughing. They stood at the bottom of the stairs and just looked at each other.

"Thank you for letting me try to correct my mistake," Oliver said.

"It wasn't your mistake Oliver," she replied. "It was mine. I jumped to conclusions that I shouldn't have and didn't give you the chance to correct me."

"No Ariel," he said. "I'm the one at fault. I was too caught up in my own world to realize that I hurt you. Plus I didn't even attempt to talk to you after. Bad result of having my head in the clouds. I was so busy being Captain that I didn't take a second to understand what you said to me that day. I just brushed it off and I shouldn't have. For that I apologize as profusely as I know how."

Ariel was so taken aback by his speech that all she could do was stare. She knew that he was smarter than everyone thought, but even she never expected anything like that from him.

"Didn't expect something like that from me, did you?" Oliver asked after a little while.

"Well, no actually," Ariel replied. "I know that sounds as though I don't have a high opinion of you, but you just don't strike me as the type that would make long speeches."

Oliver laughed, "You obviously haven't talked to Harry after practice. I can on for hours about Quidditch and the like."

"Well," she said, "since I'm not going to find Harry to find out whether or not it's true, I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Why don't you want to go find Harry, honey?" Oliver asked, looking puzzled.

"Other than the fact that it's 3:30 in the morning," she replied bemusedly, "I would hate to have to hurt Harry or get upset."

Oliver was obviously still lost. He was looking at her with a blank expression on his face.

"C'mon Ol," she said. "What I'm saying is that I don't want to risk seeing Harry and Ginny snogging!"

He looked like a cartoon character. All that was missing was the light bulb over his head. He looked so adorable.

"Oh," he said, blushing a little. "I get it."

She giggled at his adorable little blush. She was about to say something when Oliver leaned in and kissed her. As it had the last time they had kissed, the world melted away as their passions took over. The kiss was gentle but at the same time urgent, giving both the feeling that maybe there could be something more than kissing. Ariel definitely wasn't expecting that. This was a new experience all together. The kiss was as long, if not longer, than any other kiss they had ever shared. By the time it was finished Ariel was totally ready for more. Maybe not everything, she thought, but more for sure.

Oliver broke their kiss first, lightly gasping for air as he did. They were quiet for a minute or two, each trying to get their breath back from a kiss that would have taken the breath away from anyone else in the room, much less themselves. Oliver looked at Ariel, looking like he was stiffening his resolve.

"Goodnight Ariel," Oliver said, slowly easing away from her.

"Oh. Goodnight Oliver," she replied. "Sweet dreams."

"Can I tell you a secret?" he asked.

"Of course," Ariel said.

"I have been having these extraordinary dreams about pixies with long red hair."

She was astonished. He dreamed about her?

He smiled, kissed her again, and quietly walked to his dorm.


End file.
